If you’re trying to grow your online presence as an artist, you can promote your work in several places. Blogging was one of the first forms of online content creation, and it still remains relevant today.

During the 21st century, video content has become another mainstay on the web. Starting a YouTube channel is a popular route for many artists, and you can use the platform to express your creativity—while also sharing the projects you’re working on.

Blogging and running a YouTube channel both have several pros and cons. In this guide, you’ll discover the main advantages and disadvantages of both.

The Pros and Cons of Blogging for Artists

You’ll need to do several things before starting a new blog, but you may find that bringing your website to life is a worthwhile long-term endeavor. Here are the main benefits of doing so, plus a handful of negatives to consider.

Pro: You Can Own Your Content and Platform

A woman typing on a laptop

Social media is an excellent way to grow an online audience, and you’ll find plenty of free sites to learn social media marketing basics. However, relying solely on social media is risky. You don’t own the content you post, and you’re unable to customize things anywhere near as much as you can on your own blog.

Running a blog means that you can own the content you post. You should still check the provider’s terms and conditions, though, as some sites may not allow this. Squarespace and Wix both let you own what you publish, as does WordPress.org.

Pro: Blogging Is a Great Option if You’re Camera-Shy

With the rise of YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, it’s easy to think that the only way you can grow online today is by switching your camera on. However, that isn’t necessarily the case—which will be music to your ears if you don’t want to show your face on camera.

Blogging allows you to connect with your audience in a way that fits your personality. While you should still have a photo of yourself somewhere on your site, you can maintain at least a slight degree of anonymity.

Pro: You Don’t Need as Much Equipment

Woman working on a laptop with a cup of coffee and notepad on the table

Building a blog costs money, as you’ll learn more about in the cons section. But compared to producing videos, the friction for buying equipment isn’t as high over the long run. All you need is a laptop and a good internet connection.

You can buy other tools later, such as a good camera. But in the meantime, high-quality free stock photos can work in many places.

Con: Growing a Blog Takes Time

An image of a website's traffic

When starting a blog, you’ll often need to wait months—if not years—before you gain traction. With this in mind, blogging should be something you genuinely enjoy and are willing to do even if nobody is reading your content.

Con: You Need to Do Website Maintenance

Having a responsive website is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO). Whereas YouTube manages the platform for your videos, you’ll need to do all the design on your own blog. So, you’ll need to learn the technical aspects of running a site. If you have the budget, you can always hire a web developer.

Con: Building a Good Blog Often Requires Money

Man writing in a notebook while sitting in front of an iMac

Blogging requires costs that you might not have thought of. You’ll need to pay for a domain name, for example, and some website-building tools will also require a monthly or annual fee.

You can get many useful plugins for free, but you will need to pay for the premium versions. And as your traffic increases, your subscription costs will also likely go up.

The Pros and Cons of YouTube for Artists

Now that you know more about the benefits and drawbacks of starting a blog as an artist, let’s look at the pros and cons of going on YouTube instead.

Pro: Starting a YouTube Channel Is Free

As long as you have a camera, starting a YouTube channel is pretty much free. You can even use your smartphone camera if you don’t have a DSLR or mirrorless device. And while you can pay for editing software, DaVinci Resolve is a powerful platform that you can get for free.

You can invest in better equipment and such as you grow, but it’s definitely viable to start a channel on a budget.

Pro: YouTube Handles Site Maintenance

youtube icon on phone screen

When starting a YouTube channel, you don’t need to worry about site responsiveness. Google handles all the technical aspects, so you just have to focus on creating high-quality content. Of course, the platform sometimes goes down—but it’s usually not too long before things are up and running again.

Pro: YouTube Has an Excellent Algorithm to Recommend Your Content

When running a YouTube channel, you can get your content in front of the right people by creating videos that cater to their interests.

Whereas someone would typically have to search for something to discover a new blog (unless it’s on social media), you’ve got a better chance of having your videos pushed into the feeds of people who want to watch them.

Con: YouTube Could Ban You Without Warning

person holding smartphone displaying youtube logo

Arguably the biggest drawback of running a YouTube channel is that you’re at the mercy of another company. If you say something that’s deemed inappropriate, even if you may think it’s not that bad, YouTube could terminate your account.

If you’re going to start a YouTube channel, protecting yourself against the worst-case scenario is crucial. Newsletters are excellent for talking directly to your audience, for example, and you can also pick one or two other social media platforms to promote yourself.

Con: Potential for More Scrutiny

You’re always open to criticism whenever you publish your art online. Some criticism is useful for helping you grow, but hate comments are also an unfortunate reality of being on the internet.

Of course, you can receive hateful comments on a blog. But on YouTube, the friction is often higher. While you’ll probably take angry comments less seriously as time progresses, they can still have a damaging effect.

Con: A Bigger Learning Curve

iphone camera showing video mode and recording a camera

Starting a blog isn’t easy, but it’s important to remember that YouTube often has a big learning curve. Besides creating valuable content, you also need to think about how you can engage viewers with interesting thumbnails. Moreover, you’ll also have to figure out how to use a camera if you don’t already know—along with picking up audio recording and editing skills.

When running a YouTube channel, you should expect growth to take a long time. Focus on doing one thing better with each video, and everything will accumulate over the months and years.

A Blog vs. a YouTube Channel: Both Grow Your Presence as an Artist

Blogging and YouTube are both excellent channels for growing your presence as an artist, and both have their pros and cons. The best choice you can make is whichever you enjoy the most. Neither is a get-rich-quick scheme, and each is better suited to different personalities.

Besides these two channels, you can also try several other forms of media to promote your art. Consider looking at different social media networks, along with podcasting.